{"id":60539,"date":"2017-07-26T07:15:31","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T11:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=60539"},"modified":"2021-05-19T08:31:05","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T12:31:05","slug":"open-water-swimming-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/open-water-swimming-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Beginner Open-Water Swimming Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"6
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even if you hit the pool multiple days a week, your first organized open-water swim can feel disorienting, intimidating or just downright difficult. \u201cSwimming in open water is completely different from swimming in a pool<\/a>. There are no lane lines, and in most cases you can\u2019t see the ground,\u201d says Andrew Kalley, a USA Triathlon level II coach and senior coach at Chelsea Pier\u2019s Full Throttle Endurance<\/a> in New York City. To smooth out your stroke, we\u2019re letting you in on the mistakes most open-water swimming newbies make. Plus, you\u2019ll get expert tips on how to avoid them so you can glide right to the finish.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>10 Swimming Tips to Improve Every Stroke<\/a><\/p>\n

6 Open-Water Swimming Mistakes Most Newbies Make<\/h2>\n

Mistake #1: Not practicing enough (or any) open-water swims<\/h3>\n

What to do instead: <\/strong>All the pool workouts<\/a> that fill your training plan will certainly boost your fitness and form, but they won\u2019t fully prep you for race day. \u201cIt\u2019s best to practice open-water swimming in a non-stressful environment first, so you get more comfortable,\u201d says Dave Kelsheimer<\/a>, head coach of Team Santa Monica in California and head coach of Team USA open-water world championship swimming. Ideally, try to get in at least a couple practice swims on the actual course before race day. \u201cIt\u2019s important not for increased fitness \u2014 but it\u2019s about acclimating to the water temperature and sighting,\u201d Kelsheimer says. Get to know the course and it might help calm your nerves<\/a> come take off.<\/p>\n

Mistake #2: Skipping a gear test run<\/h3>\n

What to do instead: <\/strong>As with all timed events, when it comes to triathlons or open-water swims, you should practice the golden rule: Never try something new on race day. \u201cSwimming is stressful enough \u2014 you don\u2019t want to leave any extra surprises for race morning,\u201d says Kalley. He recommends practicing in your race kit<\/a>, swimsuit, or wetsuit and goggles for at least three or four workouts ahead of the big day.<\/p>\n

\u201cPractice with the same pair or type of goggles you want to use for racing, and make sure they\u2019re appropriate for the time of day you\u2019re racing and the angle of the sun,\u201d adds Kelsheimer. Also, get used to lubing up with BodyGlide<\/a> or another anti-chafing balm. You should put it along the seams of your tri suit or wetsuit and anywhere it might irritate your skin, says Kelsheimer.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>15 Top Picks for Tri Gear if You\u2019re on a Budget or a Baller<\/a><\/p>\n

Mistake #3: Not warming up<\/h3>\n

What to do instead: <\/strong>If it\u2019s your first time out on the open water, you might be inclined to conserve your energy and avoid swimming before the start. But skipping a pre-race dip in the water \u201cis a huge mistake, especially for cold-water races,\u201d says Kalley. He advises swimming for 10 to 15 minutes before the race start to acclimate your body to the water temperature. \u201cThat amount of time will hardly waste any energy and, on the contrary, will have a huge impact on performance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Jumping into the water beforehand isn\u2019t only about warming up your muscles<\/a>, either, says Kelsheimer: \u201cIt gets your shoulders lubricated, gives you the chance to do a final check of your goggles, and takes off a little bit of that nervousness, so you can start the race from a relaxed point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mistake #4: Starting too soon when the gun goes off<\/h3>\n

What to do instead: <\/strong>Even if you\u2019re eager to get going, resist the urge to charge into the water with the rest of the pack. \u201cOther swimmers can be very aggressive at the start, which can be pretty daunting for newbies,\u201d says Kelsheimer. Holding off for just 30 to 60 seconds will give you more breathing room. \u201cUnless you know you are a good swimmer,\u201d Kalley says, \u201cyou should head to the back of your wave and let the faster swimmers<\/a> go. You\u2019ll have a safer, faster, and more comfortable swim.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for positioning, Kelsheimer advises sidestepping the middle of the crowd and lining up on the far left or right of your age group to give yourself more space. Even better: \u201cIt\u2019s usually the fastest, most direct distance to the first turn buoy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>A Beginner\u2019s Guide to Triathlon Training<\/a><\/p>\n

Mistake #5: Sighting too often \u2014 or not enough<\/h3>\n

What to do instead: <\/strong>Unlike in a pool<\/a>, where lane lines keep you swimming straight, it\u2019s easy to veer off course in open water. Sighting \u2014 or regularly looking up from your stroke \u2014 is important for staying on course. However, many people do it too often, says Kelsheimer. \u201cA lot of swimmers will come out of the water and say their hip flexors<\/a> are hurting \u2014 that\u2019s a result of lifting their head too much, which puts pressure on your hips.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the flip side, not sighting enough can send you off course. \u201cNinety-nine percent of beginners don\u2019t swim a straight line,\u201d says Kalley. This will waste energy and leave you frustrated, which is why he recommends newbies peek their heads out of the water more often. Pay special attention to your sighting during your open-water trial runs, finding the right balance between looking up and down. That way, you\u2019ll better learn to stay straight without constantly throwing off your body alignment.<\/p>\n

Mistake #6: Standing too soon at the end<\/h3>\n

What to do instead: <\/strong>When you near the end of the swim and the water\u2019s edge is in sight, avoid running through the rest of the water. If you put your feet down too soon, you could trip, twist an ankle, or hurt your foot on a rock, says Kelsheimer. More than that, wading through hip- or waist-deep water actually takes more time and energy than swimming. \u201cTo avoid feeling exhausted by the time you get to the transition area, you shouldn\u2019t stand until your hands hit the ground a few times,\u201d Kalley suggests. Repeat after us: Just keep swimming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If open-water swimming leaves you searching for the nearest shore, here\u2019s how to correct your stroke mistakes. That triathlon PR is yours. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":60552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[288,289,110,128,341,343,156,100],"class_list":["post-60539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-cardio","tag-exercise","tag-race","tag-swimming","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-triathlon","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}